MEPs show strong support for digital innovation in Europe and demand the completion of the Digital single market

Date

15 Dec 2015

Sections

EU Priorities 2020

InfoSociety

Innovation & Enterprise

A cross-committee group of MEPs have this evening voted to adopt a report calling for ambitious, targeted actions to complete Europe's digital single market. Liberal and Democrat MEPs strongly supported the report, which calls on the EU and Member States to embrace digital innovation, by giving a push to the digital transformation of traditional industries and increasing the take up of e-services by public administrations to remove barriers for innovative companies to start and scale up. It has been estimated that completing the digital single market once and for all and could create €340bn in additional growth across the EU.

Commenting this evening, the European Parliament's co-rapporteur Kaja Kallas MEP said :

"I am delighted my report was today adopted by a large majority .To ensure all the talent and innovative ideas can be turned into businesses that scale up and create jobs, we need to adapt and simplify the rules so that we have the best environment in Europe for innovation to flourish.

"It's time to tear down the remaining barriers, regulations and outdated practices that are stifling the emergence of a genuine digital single market in Europe."

"We must work harder to promote a dynamic economy and a market that reflects the needs and aspirations of our digital entrepreneurs .I am happy that today in this report we clearly gave our support to digital innovation such as the sharing economy by calling for the breaking down of barriers that are hindering its development, as this is the innovation that drives growth and creates jobs."

"I am glad that we are finally accepting the world is now digital and so our laws must reflect both the online and offline worlds. The digital revolution is not something to fear, but a tool that makes our lives as citizens and consumers better."

"Our report and the proposals from the Commission set us on the path where we will be able to feel safe and free to shop online from any source, where you can have both security and privacy for all of your connected devices and where start-ups, and scale-ups don't have to leave Europe to become world economic leaders. This strategy will help to create a world with less government red tape and administrative delays, more goods and services at lower prices and wider opportunities for SMEs.""This is a chance for Europe and nothing can hold us back but ourselves. This is not the time for protectionism, but instead a time to embrace the Digital Single Market as the future of growth and jobs."